tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post3186099702169023093..comments2015-02-27T14:56:35.928-05:00Comments on Marian's Roots and Rambles: How I Got Here - The Path to Becoming a Family HistorianMarian Pierre-Louishttps://plus.google.com/112601114740775994550noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-57649282581213361022011-11-02T18:07:50.612-04:002011-11-02T18:07:50.612-04:00Marian,
Interesting topic I&#39;m going to compil...Marian,<br /><br />Interesting topic I&#39;m going to compile, add to my 2-vol Whidden/Whitten genealogy/ history. <br /><br />Briefly here, my Mom/Dad knew little of their history: Mom&#39;s Mom died when she was 7 years old and her Dad never talked about life in Finland; Dad left home age 15 years old on a harvest excursion from NS to SK and only returned home once before he died age 80 in 1980, having moved to northern AB. Dad&#39;s brother, Percy, was the talker in the family and told me endless tales, long since forgotten about his family. His sister in NS told me some of that in letters, since lost, but the two sparked my interest. Cousins gave me a &quot;Whidden Family of Nova Scotia&quot; for Christmas about 1985 and the rest is history. <br /><br />The next thing I knew I was spending hours looking at NS census microfilms in the library and contacting people in the phone book. Getting an ex-spouse of a male Whidden from Florida sorta cured me of that as she was NOT the least complimentary about having known him. <br /><br />Eventually I got PAF v1.0 for CP/M on my Commodore C=128 as well the MS-DOS version as well so when my database outgrew the size of a 3.5&quot; floppy disk I was able to move it to a new IBM compatible computer. <br /><br />Eventually, about 1994 when the internet became more available, I contacted a fellow researcher in MN whose father and grandfather had been trying to connect their PA branch to the NH bunch who came, supposedly from ENG in 1662, but had been unsuccessful in linking. A cousin of his in Boston who was a volunteer at NEHGS eventually made the connection so we combined my descendants from Samuel/ NH/1662 with his from John/1662 and the result ended up being 2-vol. 1650+ pages and printed about 20 copies, some paid for and other given to contributors. <br /><br />Four cousins from the two lines, two from each line have had their y-DNA-67 done and confirmed our paper relationship. <br /><br />It&#39;s been exciting and the next stage is to include the census info from US 1940 and CAN 1921 once they are released and print 2nd edition of &quot;Whidden NH, NS and Beyond 1662-2002 a family odyssey.&quot;<br /><br />Cheers, RayRayWhiddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06362004629170933547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-54737748921456745292010-12-10T01:21:30.703-05:002010-12-10T01:21:30.703-05:00Marian,
I&#39;ve given you the Ancestor Approved A...Marian,<br />I&#39;ve given you the Ancestor Approved Award. <br />You can pick it up at http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2010/12/ancestor-approved-award.htmlBill Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266937924453737084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-88098819461491596582010-12-09T17:34:35.683-05:002010-12-09T17:34:35.683-05:00Hmm. Then we very well might have a connection!Hmm. Then we very well might have a connection!Bill Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266937924453737084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-54857211612972349032010-12-08T21:49:26.346-05:002010-12-08T21:49:26.346-05:00Bill, my Gurneys are from the Bridgewater area. Ri...Bill, my Gurneys are from the Bridgewater area. Right in your neighborhood!Marian Pierre-Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04738104230962644360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-13379645178524314082010-12-08T21:17:29.319-05:002010-12-08T21:17:29.319-05:00Very interesting post, Marian! BTW, where are your...Very interesting post, Marian! BTW, where are your Gurney&#39;s from? While I don&#39;t have any in my<br />direct line, I have some Gurney cousins by marriage from the Abington and Whitman area.Bill Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01266937924453737084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-34828120857181614802010-12-08T11:56:18.075-05:002010-12-08T11:56:18.075-05:00Marian,
Great story. Thank you.
I &#39;got it&#3...Marian,<br /><br />Great story. Thank you.<br /><br />I &#39;got it&#39; from one of my daughters. (long story) but she gave me program because she thought I needed something to do. Little did she know ...<br /><br />From a long line of Quakers, genealogy / family history through letters are in my family. Interesting that it skipped a generation. I asked my Dad, where were you when these stories were being told. He said, I&#39;d rather be fishing.<br /><br />The good news, my older daughter has picked up her family history going back her mother&#39;s line. I guess it helped that as the &#39;kids&#39; were growing up we would visit historical places.<br /><br />Like you, I have had some great &#39;research&#39; trips with her. <br /><br />Doesn&#39;t get too much better then that.<br /><br />Thank you,<br /><br />RussRusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00326890362591254874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-27387384203140696302010-12-08T11:44:58.258-05:002010-12-08T11:44:58.258-05:00I suppose my earliest genealogical memory was stop...I suppose my earliest genealogical memory was stopping in a cemetery at the side of the road with my aunt Peggy. We did visit family grave sites, but I particularly remember reading the stones and seeing two or three wives of one man buried side by side. <br />That started me wondering about the stories. Everybody has a story! I hope knowing about those individuals who came before us will give my kids a sense of grounding.Sara E. Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225335295996071660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-1057926329388071192010-12-08T11:30:12.144-05:002010-12-08T11:30:12.144-05:00Love this! I always wonder how and why people take...Love this! I always wonder how and why people take the paths they take... My story is similar in that I developed a love of history through my father (who is an avid history show enthusiast) and through my mother (who was the keeper of the family stories and passed on tales of my grandparents escape from Europe during WWII.) I also had an influential teacher who steered me toward history at an early age...But your post is light-hearted and personal with an important larger message. I am dumbfounded when people say their kids are just not interested in their history. I&#39;m also surprised that my second grader gets little exposure to history through school. We make history part of our every day lives in my home and I am confident that even if my child doesn&#39;t choose history in some form as a profession, she will at least have an appreciation for it and a greater sensibility regarding the world, its people, and humanity&#39;s relationships. Family history is important and we need to do a better job conveying that to children by sharing family stories, introducing genealogy, making museum visits a regular routine, discussing family heirlooms, and by encouraging the reading of historical biographies in subject areas that interest them.MELISSA MANNONhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11173735671172866919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-691016683378293851.post-48649518784675193092010-12-08T10:44:44.936-05:002010-12-08T10:44:44.936-05:00How fortunate that your parents and ancestors were...How fortunate that your parents and ancestors were so interested in preserving family history and I can just imagine that the stories you have acquired are legion because of this. I am envious that your brothers will listen, mine would be bored stiff. My great grandfather left us a diary when he died in 1907 and my father&#39;s aunt did a partial transcrption of it (I am now transcribing the full diary) and gave copies to various family members back in 1994. That is my very simple story of where my interest started and it very quickly became an obsession..or an illness, LOL! I never thought to take it to a professional level though!Lisa Wallen Logsdonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13003873811444854964noreply@blogger.com